The Best Baby Registry Ever: Part 5, Nursery! (Plus, TWO Super-Cute Pics Of My Baby!)

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Welcome to Part 5 of The Best Baby Registry EVER, my totally biased (but mom-tested!) write-up of exactly what every new mom needs.

Here's everything you'll need to outfit your new nursery!

BASSINET If you're going to sleep with your baby in your bedroom for the first few months, you'll probably want something smaller than a crib to put him in. Before Emmett's super-fancy boat bassinet that my dad built was finished, we borrowed a friend's Contours Classique 3-in-1 Wood Bassinet. It's not the most gorgeous piece of furniture, but I liked that it had lots of places to stow stuff. Friends of mine were happy with the equally unattractive Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. Since the baby's only in a bassinet for a few months, try not to stress over this one! (The mattress sizes vary, so don't pick sheets until you've picked your bassinet!)

CRIB I strongly recommend buying a new crib, since the safety standards are always changing. Since Emmett's nursery is the size of a phone booth, we went with the Babyletto Mercer 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, which has a drawer for storage and is made with sustainable pine and painted with nontoxic finishes. It's sturdy and has served us well so far. My only complaint is that the wood is pretty soft, so it's a little banged up from Rory's belt buckle. But it's not like we're planning on passing this down to Emmett's kids (CAN YOU IMAGINE?!), since the safety standards will probably change again next week, never mind two or three decades from now.

MATTRESS Knowing how much time babies spend in their cribs, I opted for a Naturepedic Organic Cotton mattress. After I helped edit this book, I was well-versed in synthetic mattress materials and the chemicals they off-gas (that's that "new mattress" smell!) and I didn't want my new baby breathing in those. Ours is topped with a waterproof pad. I use it because we have it, but the mattress itself is waterproof, so you probably don't need one. (It also makes the sheets harder to get on!)

BEDDING All you need bedding-wise are a few crib sheets. Ours are organic. I really like the patters by Magnolia. If you buy a whole bedding set, you'll probably also get a bumper. I know we all had crib bumpers and survived, but the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests not using bumpers, since they've been linked to SIDS. (In fact, crib bumpers are illegal in Canada because they're of this.) Plus, they're just unneccesary. Your baby's probably not going to be moving fast enough to get banged up if he rolls into the side of the crib; and if an arm or leg falls through the slats, he's not going to move quickly enough (or with enough force) to break it. If you're really concerned about limbs dangling out, you can get a breathable bumper. Bedding sets also generally come with a blanket, which of course can't go in the crib yet, either.

CHANGING TABLE Of course you don't NEED a changing table—you can change a baby's diaper anywhere. But I've found Emmett's much more cooperative when he's on the changing table and can't get away from me as easily. We got the one that matches his crib, but you can use any dresser with a changing pad on top. Even if you don't have a designated changing table, I recommend getting a waterproof changing pad (of course ours is organic) which has contoured sides that make the process easier once your baby is squirmy. I registered for one cover, but if you don't want to change your baby on the bare pad while the cover's in the laundry, get two. This is the cover that we have; the waterproof pad that comes with it is basically useless, because it curls once you wash it, and because it's so small, the mess never lands on it. (I highly recommend these disposable pads in the beinning, when there's poop everywhere!) If you REALLY don't want a changing table, at least get a diaper caddy so all your changing supplies are in one place.

BLACKOUT SHADE Emmett definitely sleeps better in a pitch dark room. I got black-out curtains, but they're kind of annoying to fuss with. If I got a do-over I'd get a pull-down shade. (Check out the hand-painted one in my friend Joanna's son's room!) Just make sure it's wide enough that light won't sneak in!

DIAPER GENIE Some of my city-living friends have garbage chutes in their hallways, so they just walk smelly diapers directly to the chute. And of course if you live in the 'burbs, you can toss stinkers in the garage, or wherever your trash sits 'til garbage day. But putting stinky diapers in an outdoor trashcan in NYC is like sending rats a handwritten invitation to a poop buffet—so you need something to contain the stink indoors 'til trash day. We use the Diaper Genie, which of course gets stinky, but you can only smell it when the lid is open. I like that it opens with a foot pedal—and that the lid is made in a way that Emmett can't pry it open. (Trust me, he's tried!) The drawback to the Diaper Genie is that you need to buy refills (they don't use regular trash bags) but a single refill roll lasts for ages, and I always keep an eye on Emmett's closet to make sure we have at least one extra on hand. The Diaper Champ uses regular 13-gallon trash bags, but it's considerably more expensive. There's also an added step—flipping the handle to contain the diaper—every time you use it, which isn't the hugest deal, but still something to consider.

MONITOR When Emmett was a newborn we used the Sony Baby Call Nursery Monitor. I didn't register for a video monitor because I knew I'd stay awake staring at, making sure I could see his chest rise and fall all night. (And since you often can't SEE a newborn breathing, I would have been running into his room even more often than I already was.) Once we were ready to start sleep-training though, I switched to this Summer Infant video monitor. It was incredibly reassuring to be able to see what he was doing (always nothing!) when his cries made it sound like his torso was stuck in the crib slats!

GATES We used gates to keep the pets out of Emmett's room from the beginning. I chose this one by Munchkin because it's extra-tall. Their Quick-Release Gate also gets rave reviews.

SOUND MACHINE & HUMIDIFIER Emmett's bedroom is filled with white noise—which means we can run the dishwasher, washer, and dryer (all of which are right outside his room) while he's in the crib, and they never wake him. We use the Dex Sound Sleeper. The most important thing to look for in a sound machine is one that doesn't turn off; we used a Sleep Sheep, which runs on a timer, for a while, and Emmett always woke up when the room went silent. (SO FRUSTRATING!) I'm so happy with the Dex that I bought a second one for GG and Grandpa Kev's Florida house. As far as humidifier's go, I've bought probably 10 in as many years, and finally settled on the Germ Guardian. Yes, it's expensive, but here's why it's the best: 1) It has Cool and Warm settings. (Lots of "baby" humidifiers only have one setting. Annoying.) 2) It has a huge tank, so you don't have to constantly be filling it. 3) There are no "replacement parts," so I never have to buy new filters or bulbs. 4) The opening is huge. My biggest problem with this humidifier, which I know is popular on baby registries, is that the opening is really small, so it's pretty much impossible to clean. This air purifier is also always running in Emmett's room. I don't think the air is particularly dirty in there, but it provides nice white noise, and hey, it's not doing any harm.